Hunter councils including Cessnock, Maitland, MidCoast, Muswellbrook, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter have joined forces as part of Motorcycle Awareness Month to promote rider safety.
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Local motorcycle riders will kick off the inaugural Hunter Region Joe Rider campaign on Saturday, October 17 with a ride from Port Stephens Council (departing at 8.30am), travelling through to Maitland and finishing up Cessnock City Council where the campaign will officially be launched.
As part of the campaign, motorists are invited to spot 'Joe Rider' on the road next week and report their sightings for the chance to win a prize.
Cessnock mayor Bob Pynsent said the Joe Rider campaign aims to develop new habits by encouraging drivers to consistently look out for motorcyclists.
"Motorcyclists are more exposed than any other vehicles on our roads. This October we can all play our part when driving by being aware, develop new consistent habits of checking our mirrors and blind spots for riders together with being more cautious at intersections," Cr Pynsent said.
"It's all part of our aim to promote rider safety, reduce the incidences of 'Sorry mate I didn't see you' (SMIDSY) crashes and make riders more visible on our roads."
Motorists should keep an eye out for our riders wearing the 'I am Joe Rider' vest next Monday to Friday, and when they reach their destination, report sightings for the chance to win a $50 voucher each day.
All entries will go into a grand prize draw of a $250 voucher for each council area.
"By helping spot 'Joe Rider', you're helping motorcyclists 'ride to live'," Cr Pynsent said.
For the chance to win, spot Joe Rider from Monday, October 19 and register the sighting at surveymonkey.com/r/HunterRegionJoeRider2020 by 5pm Friday, October 23.
More information about the competition can be found on each participating council's website.
The Joe Rider campaign was founded by the Motorcycle Council of NSW and conducted on Sydney radio stations in 2019.
The motorcycle council has used the month of October to celebrate motorcycling and promote driver awareness for more than a decade.
"Like most events, Motorcycle Awareness Month will look different this year. Usually filled with fun events and mass rides through urban and country towns, we have had to look at different avenues to get our message across," Motorcycle Council of NSW chairman Trip Henry said.
Due to the pandemic limitations, the motorcycle council has instead created a video campaign and radio and Spotify advertising to spread their safety message this month.
"Every driver, young and old, we get the message to look out for motorcyclists will help save lives," Mr Henry said.
"The majority of multi-vehicle crashes involving a motorcycle, are due to the action of the other driver, usually failing to see or give way to the rider."
